Tags:
- Thanksgiving
- recipe
- fruit
- dessert
Fall season is here and with it, all the flavors and colors we enjoy during the cooler weather. My wife and I usually head to an apple orchard near the Wisconsin border during this season and celebrate with the first hot apple cider and apple doughnut to mark the beginning of autumn.
This year when we traveled to the orchard, we grabbed a bushel basket and rode out on the tractor to handpick our own apples, which I highly recommend. You get the apple fresh off the tree and they just taste better, apple juice running down your chin, standing among all the trees in the orchard.
As we walked through the country store at the orchard, I saw, as in past years, that they were selling fresh-dipped caramel apples on a stick.
You know the kind, with the sticky, gooey caramel coating the outside and rolled in the chopped, toasted peanuts. Every bite is just great, sticky caramel goodness and this year I wanted to re-imagine those same flavors on the grill at home.
The best apples for baking aren't the ones you would typically expect- an apple that is crisp and tangy when raw changes to almost applesauce when it hits the grill. Some others start out already soft, and just go softer from there when baked.
What's needed is an apple that retains is texture when baked and still has a good sweetness. After much trial, I found that the Gala apple is the clear winner for this. You can also use Honey Crisp or Fuji, but stay away from red delicious or granny smith, too mushy.
Once I found the proper baking fruit, the rest came together on the grill. An "inside out" roasted caramel apple!
Caramel Apple "Inside Out"
Recipe by Matt Jost, Weber Grill Restaurant Chef
Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Grilling time: 15-20 minutes
Special equipment: melon ball scoop, or small grapefruit spoon, scissors, 6 plain toothpicks
Ingredients:
½ cup good bourbon
4 each Gala Apples (can substitute Jonah Gold, Fuji or Honey crisp – can also be substituted with pears for similar results)
12 pc caramel squares
½ cup brown sugar, dark
4 scoops good vanilla ice cream
½ cup peanuts, toasted and chopped
caramel sauce, if desired
2 sheets cedar paper wraps (8” x 8”)
4 pc kitchen string (cut 10” length)
4 squares heavy duty foil (cut 4” x 4” square)
Instructions:
Enjoy and happy grilling!